Like Sands through the Hourglass
by Pouncer
Summary: Elizabeth isn’t the only one who needs a vacation. Vague spoilers through 2.08 Conversion. Pairing: Elizabeth Weir and Radek Zelenka. Written summer 2006.


**Like Sands through the Hourglass**

By Pouncer

Elizabeth Weir walked into her quarters at the end of another marathon day, stared at her tired reflection in the mirror, and said, "I need a vacation."

It had seemed so glamorous and important back on Earth, searching for the lost city of the Ancients, the place where they would discover the secrets of the universe. And then they found Atlantis, and woke up the Wraith, and survived a year of isolation when contact with Earth would have been a godsend. Now there was a regular supply run and scheduled check ins and Elizabeth knew it was better this way, far more secure, yet she couldn't help experiencing a nostalgic longing for the days when they were a tight-knit group making decisions on the fly and not bothering with bureaucratic nonsense.

The Daedalus had broken orbit this afternoon, heading back to Earth, and Elizabeth was glad to see them go. Every second of her week had been occupied with integrating new personnel into established departments, the endless skirmishes with Colonel Caldwell, and topping it all off, a crisis with an offworld team.

Shower. Sleep. And start again tomorrow. Elizabeth blew air upward to dislodge hair from her eyes and groaned.

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"Paris in the spring." Elizabeth knew her eyes were dreamy, knew her voice was breathy, but God. Eating crêpes in a Left Bank café, flowers blooming in the Jardins des Tuileries, lovers strolling along the Champs Elysée – how could she not get lost in memory?

Radek smiled across the table from her, and took a sip from his coffee mug. "I was always more partial to the mountains or the shore, myself. Not that there was a shore in Czechoslovakia, you understand." His mouth quirked up even more, infectious mischief.

"Of course," Elizabeth said.

"But a couple of times I traveled to Yugoslavia with my parents, and the sea was magical."

"It is, isn't it?" she replied, and took a bite of her pancakes.

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The resources coordination meeting broke up without Elizabeth feeling the urge to strangle anybody. She counted it a success, and scurried to her office in search of quiet time.

"Incoming wormhole!" shouted the gateroom technician on watch.

Elizabeth paused and braced herself for bad news.

"Watch out, we're coming in hot!" Major Lorne's voice echoed through the command channel on her headset.

The puddlejumper was scored with weapons traces when it jerked to a stop.

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Elizabeth was silent at dinner, half-listening to Sheppard and McKay's repartee but mostly trying to determine the best way to respond to the Metrenu aggression. Their attack on Lorne's team couldn't go unanswered, not if Atlantis didn't want to face even more hostility on missions. They couldn't appear weak; there were too many threats in this galaxy. Elizabeth returned to worries over and over again, strategizing and analyzing and attempting to make sense of anarchy.

The lasagna didn't taste right, made as it was from a mélange of Earth pasta and Pegasus vegetables and meat and cheese. Her fork dragged through the sauce, looking for something to entice her appetite. The garlic bread had been good, but she'd finished it first.

"Oh, _come on_," Rodney said disbelievingly. "That could only make sense to idiots."

"I don't know, Rodney," a familiar accented voice broke in. "It might also make sense to small children? Or people with open minds?" It sounded like the continuation of an old argument.

Radek sat down in the empty chair next to Elizabeth and looked at his tray with a notable lack of interest.

"Open minds," Sheppard crowed. "Exactly."

Zelenka poked at his plate. "Ach. Garlic. Does anybody want this?" pointing at his bread.

Elizabeth's hand shot out without conscious control and Rodney yelped as her fork narrowly missed his fingers.

"Mine," she said, and bared her teeth.

Sheppard did a double-take, then asked Zelenka how the repairs were going on Lorne's puddlejumper. Rodney sat there, muttering.

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"Don't you think we need to schedule something relaxing?" Carson asked Elizabeth at their weekly personnel review. "Stress after stress with no breaks isn't good for our health. The blood pressure readings I've taken lately …" He trailed off.

She looked at the queue of emails awaiting her attention and said, "Yes, we should."

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"We are at the beginning of harvest," Teyla said. "There will be a celebration once all the crops are in, but that will not be for many days."

Teyla tilted her head and corrected Elizabeth's arm position. "You must keep your elbows firm."

Athosian stretching wasn't exactly yoga, but it was meditative.

"I'll try," Elizabeth said.

"There's no such thing as try," Teyla said. "Either you succeed or you do not."

She looked confused when Elizabeth broke down in giggles, although her face eventually betrayed shared humor.

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Winds blew across the balcony, hot and swirling.

Elizabeth held her hair back with a hand and inhaled the scent of salt and seaweed and _ocean_. A bird soared around the towers, some new and exotic species no doubt.

"Doesn't it seem wrong to you," she said to Radek, "that we're living in the middle of the ocean but we never touch the water?"

He slumped a bit deeper over the railing and _hmmmmed_.

"I could use some sun," he said. "I am _pasty_ from all the time spent in the jumper bay lately."

"Don't tell Rodney." Elizabeth snorted at the thought. "He'll lecture you on radiation exposure."

"Radiation exposure. Bah. Sun feels good."

"It does." Her hair escaped her grasp and flew into her eyes.

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Lieutenant Cadman approached Elizabeth in the gym one night, after she'd finished her workout.

"Dr. Weir," Cadman said, "did you hear about the beach?"

"The beach?" Elizabeth had a vague tickle in the back of her mind, but she couldn't grab hold of it.

"I was talking to Corporal Forth, the one who went exploring on the mainland with Dr. Raleigh? And he said they found a gorgeous beach, all sand and waves." Cadman looked at Elizabeth eagerly.

Elizabeth couldn't remember the details of Dr. Raleigh's report, as he'd gone tromping around just prior to the Wraith siege of Atlantis; she'd been busy back then. But there was Cadman, expecting a reply.

"Oh?"

"What would you think of a beach party?" Cadman asked. As Elizabeth stood there and blinked, Cadman continued: "We need something fun around here, don't you think? Something _relaxing_."

Enlightenment bloomed. Carson was behind this. "I'll think about it, Lieutenant. Thank you for making the suggestion."

Elizabeth headed back to her quarters for a shower, then pulled up Raleigh's report on her laptop. Once she finished with that, she had a dozen mission proposals to read and approve before she could go to sleep.

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A stray sunbeam highlighted the wrinkles at the corners of Radek's eyes. The windows in Science Lab Eight were high on the walls and illuminated tables filled with Ancient gadgets the expedition had found, their purpose still unknown.

"So I'm wondering when we could take time off," Elizabeth said. "And how to manage logistics. Flying everybody back and forth to the mainland, supplies – people would have to stay here, and how could we make that fair?"

Radek tilted his head. "Science staff are workaholics," he said, gesturing around at the array on the tables, each with tagged notes. "They do this during off hours, because they want to. And if party was a regular occasion, people wouldn't feel so let down to miss the first one."

"Why don't we have somebody in charge of recreational activities?" Elizabeth asked, frustrated. She hadn't even thought of the need – what kind of leader was she?

"Because until lately," Radek said, "there was no time to do more than breathe and hope our next crisis wasn't until morning."

A series of images flitted through Elizabeth's mind: the malevolent energy cloud, Genii, nanites, Wraith attacks, Sheppard's metamorphosis.

"That's true," she told Radek. "But we have the time now."

And they should take advantage of it. The Daedalus could bring beach umbrellas and other leisure-time supplies on their next trip.

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Elizabeth asked Sheppard for his approval to approach Cadman after he'd finished reporting on the Metrenu situation. He raised an eyebrow and said, "Okay."

Cadman was tougher to persuade.

"You're the one who had the idea, Lieutenant. And I'm certain you'll be very capable of organizing things," Elizabeth said.

Cadman's face adopted an expression Elizabeth had last seen on Rodney when she'd refused to authorize the hare-brained scheme he and Sheppard had cooked up to test a puddlejumper under water.

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Elizabeth and Radek studied power consumption figures the next afternoon. Screen after screen of graphs and charts and variations and projections were displayed next to the conference table, and after two hours Elizabeth couldn't help feeling punchy.

"Now, if this proposed outing becomes a regular occasion, we'll have to factor in recharging the puddlejumpers more frequently," Radek said.

"I hope it does become a regular occasion, power usage be damned." Elizabeth couldn't help snickering a little bit. "I don't know that Lieutenant Cadman agrees with me. She didn't look very happy when I talked to her."

"But you are far too busy to take on extra duties," Radek said. His hair was wilder than usual – a tough day in the labs.

Elizabeth grinned, wickedly. "Yes, exactly," and hit the button for the next section of Radek's report.

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Cadman proved scarily efficient once given her charter. There were flurries of emails, inventories, menus, written plans and procedures including puddlejumper schedules. Then sign-up rosters appeared. Elizabeth didn't let her name be first on the list, but she was in the top five.

Radek was in the top ten.

Rodney sniffed when the beach party was officially announced at the senior staff meeting, and muttered, "As if I'd willingly add to my sun exposure. Does _nobody_ understand the effects of radiation?" with more than a bit of an aggrieved whine in his voice.

Sheppard just leaned back in his chair and volunteered to stay in the city as previously arranged; his name was on the list for the next party in two weeks.

Elizabeth nodded her approval, running down the arrangements made so far and trying to spot any holes in the plan. Cadman had recruited that one marine biologist who used to be in the SEALs as a lifeguard, and there would be plenty of medical equipment on hand, just in case. Should they increase the number of puddlejumpers involved, to allow for more trips between Atlantis and the mainland? And how many towels did they have in the general inventory – enough to provide them for all attendees, or should people bring their own?

That tight-knit blanket the Simla had given her during her last visit to their village would be perfect for lounging, Elizabeth thought.

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The puddlejumper landed without so much as a bump, and the occupants crowded out clutching towels and carrying bags filled with books and hats and flip flops. Elizabeth hadn't realized how many personal possessions had arrived in Atlantis in the past few months until she watched her fellow passengers disembark with their gear.

Two pavilion tents rose above the waterline, and a fire pit had been dug between them for the barbeque later that afternoon.

Sand stretched out, sparkling, to the point where ocean met land. Turquoise waves raced toward the shore, curling and plunging downward into a maelstrom of foam. The sky could accurately be called "cerulean" and was dotted with puffy white clouds, the sun shining through the gaps. It would make a perfect postcard to send to Simon, if she hadn't decided they were never speaking again.

Elizabeth walked forward, and a breeze lifted her hair. She closed her eyes, inhaled deeply, and felt her body draw upward in longing.

"Jsi krásná," whispered a voice next to her.

Elizabeth turned and smiled, broad and happy. "Isn't it _gorgeous_, Radek?"

He smiled back. "Where do you want to--?" and gestured down the expanse of sand.

"Close to the water, I think," Elizabeth said, fingering the blanket folded in her bag, then pulling out her sunglasses.

They meandered toward the surf, walking a short way before settling down.

The blanket spread out like a flag, a brilliant green testament to Simla craftsmanship. Elizabeth secured two corners with her bag and sandals while Radek got the others with his shoes. Her towel was placed, still folded, at one edge, and then Elizabeth shimmied out of her cotton dress, thankful that she'd remembered to put on sunscreen back in her quarters. The tank suit was more demure than she usually wore, but she fancied that the tobacco brown flattered her.

Radek sat down, still clothed, and looked toward the water.

Elizabeth first sat, then reclined, and let the warmth from the sun soak into her bones.

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"Rum punch?" a voice chirped above Elizabeth's head, interrupting her contemplation of the surf's rhythm.

She slitted one eye open and said, "Don't mind if I do."

Cadman handed over a plastic cup, condensation dripping down its sides. "It's not very strong," she said in confiding tones. Her sporty bikini was accentuated with a length of Athosian cloth tied around her hips like a sarong.

"Probably for the best." Radek reached out and took his own cup. "Still tasty."

Elizabeth hummed, too busy enjoying herself.

"The burgers go on soon," Cadman said.

"Then it's time for swimming!" Elizabeth got to her feet, swigged the rest of the punch, and raced for the waterline.

Her feet thudded onto firm-packed, wet sand and she whooped at the shock of cold water against her calves.

A moment to get her bearings, and Radek appeared at her side, glasses abandoned on the blanket. "Are you a good swimmer?" he asked.

"When I was a kid, I spent every day at the local pool," Elizabeth said, stepping forward into the approaching waves. "And we went to Myrtle Beach every summer for two weeks. I _lived_ in the water."

She waded out, further and further, jumping sideways over incoming breakers, watching the swells grow into waves, until she was able to dive into one at the apex of its curl. She surfaced and shook her head, laughing.

Radek's head bobbed up a few feet away, then he paddled close to Elizabeth.

"Is good, yes?"

"Very, very good."

Together, they waited for the next wave.

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Burgers eaten, Elizabeth and Radek walked down the beach, leaving a volleyball match in progress behind them. Elizabeth flirted with the water, broad flat sheets rushing inwards before receding back to be overcome by the next wave. It was a game she hadn't played since childhood, and laughter fought to break free.

"This was such a good idea," she said to Radek

"You will have to tell Lieutenant Cadman." His swim trunks covered him from waist to knee, unlike the Argentinean Dr. Vilas' gaudy red Speedo. Elizabeth had done her best to keep her eyes averted, back at the tents. A man with a gut like that shouldn't have so much flesh on display in her opinion, although it was less traumatic than one unforgettable trip she had taken with Simon to a nude beach on St. Martin.

No Simon here. Never again, and good riddance.

Nothing existed but the now: sand against the soles of her feet, sun warming her shoulders, the music of the surf. The steady presence at her side.

She could look over, notice Radek's chest, the pattern of hair narrowing down to disappear under his bathing suit. She could meet his eyes behind his glasses and feel her lips curving in an instinctive smile.

"I'll be sure to thank her," Elizabeth said, and got close enough to reach for Radek's hand.

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Shades of pink and purple blazed through the clouds on the horizon, an orange sun setting off to the left. Flocks of seabirds flew overhead, changing direction en masse in a hypnotic ballet.

"I don't want to leave," Elizabeth murmured to Radek.

"Neither do I," he said.

They stood close to the water, drinking in the beauty around them, until summoned to the jumper for the trip back to Atlantis.

-end-

Notes: For moonlettuce, who requested Elizabeth's day off (ocean, sky puddlejumper; no character death). I hope you enjoyed this! My thanks to misspamela, rivier, mswalter, and elishavah for their beta efforts.

Jsi krásná You're beautiful

SEALs U.S. Navy special forces; experts in the water.

"Like sands through the hourglass... so are the Days of Our Lives." – the introduction to my favorite soap opera as a teenager.

Disclaimer: The characters and situations of _Stargate: Atlantis_ do not belong to me.

_Did you bring your sunscreen? All feedback welcome._


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